Monday, October 29, 2012

The Mistaken Blog Tour - Nancy S. Thompson

I’m excited to be here with Stormy and Heather.I’m a great fan of both.

Last spring, I was trying to decide whether or not to
compromise on a key event in my novel just to acquire a publishing contract.

I asked Heather if she would read my
manuscript and tell me what she thought.Though I
posted on my blog about this dilemma, and Heather commented that she wanted
“...to meet this flawed unforgivable
male. People screw up. People deserve a second chance...” –after
reading through to that scene, she sent me an email.In it she said:

“You're writing is utterly fantastic. It’s smooth and flows easily. It's
descriptive. It's beautiful.Your
characters are interesting, completely flawed and totally human...But, I couldn't get over that scene... I cried during the scene. Then I got really
angry. Then I stopped reading.”

Yeah.She stopped
reading.Not good.Not good at all.

Most people who read my manuscript said that, while the
scene was brutal, it didn’t bother them enough that they would recommend revising
it.Trouble was, the publisher who was
interested felt the same way as Heather and would only offer me a deal if I did
revise it.But I had sworn to myself
early on that I wouldn’t because, no matter how brutal, that scene was at the
very heart of the story.After all, the premise
was:What
could make a genuinely good man commit a violent crime, and could he ever be
the man he once was?I wanted to know
how far over into the dark side this man could be pushed.Well, perhaps I pushed him too far.

In the end, I chose to revise that scene, to bring that
character to the very brink then hold him back, have him look at what he was
only seconds from doing, destroying a life.After I rewrote that scene, I realized that just having him capable of
such an act was enough, that having his victim open his eyes while on the very
cusp of losing his own humanity was perhaps even more thought provoking,
because it meant that he would never truly know the kind of man he was down
deep inside, a monster or simply a man driven too far.

Some thought it was wrong to compromise, especially when I
said I never would.Some thought it was
just to get published.Well, you know,
they’re right in a way.I did
desperately want to get published.I
wanted this story to be published. And this was a way to do that.But compromising taught me a lesson.It taught me to listen, to be less rigid,
which, in the end, was the moral lesson of the book, what the terribly flawed
protagonist learned from his own mistakes, to be less rigid.So I’m glad I compromised.That’s how things get done, how progress is
made.I just wish someone would tell
that to the US Congress.

Visit Nancy’s blog,
follow, and leave a comment during her book tour for a chance to win an ARC of The Mistaken.Plus, 5 runner-up winners will each receive
an ebook.

“A deliciously slow burn that builds to a ferocious
crescendo, Nancy S. Thompson's THE MISTAKEN kept me riveted until the very last
page. Tyler Karras is a complex and flawed protagonist, and his redemptive
journey makes him the perfect anti-hero. This psychological suspense is a
standout, and I can't wait for Thompson's next book.”

~ Jennifer Hillier,
author of CREEP and FREAK

“Nancy S. Thompson's debut novel, The Mistaken, is
a first-rate thriller full of hair-raising twists and turns. Pursued
by the police and the Russian mafia in San Francisco, brothers Tyler and
Nick Karras are fascinating, fully-drawn, desperate characters. The
action is non-stop. Thompson's taut, intriguing tale of revenge, mistaken
identity, kidnapping and murder will keep you enthralled and entertained.”

~Kevin O’Brien, New
York Times Bestselling Author of DISTURBED and TERRIFIED

“Fast-paced and emotionally gripping - once the ride begins,
you won't stop reading until it ends."
~Alex J. Cavanaugh, author of
CASSAFIRE and CASSASTAR

25 comments:

Heather, you are always good for some honest feedback. She's never afraid to tell you how it is...and I love that about you! Congrats Nancy on the published book. I will have to download it for my Nook! It sounds delicious!

Happy Halloween - hope the little kiddies don't get blown to bits in the hurricane! Or maybe I do - more chocolate for me! /evil laugh

Heather had discussed her reaction to the scene with me and how strong her feelings were. Sounds like you found an excellent way to solve your dilemma. Wonder if the scene you altered would have worked with a different character committing the act- it may be that you had written your male so well that this character failure for him, in Heather's eyes, was not an option.

What a lovely, wonderful post on this issue. I think you did the right thing. I love the book both ways and I was okay with it as it was but I can see how many readers would not be. I am just glad that your wonderful book is available to readers now!

One piece of advice I wished I'd been given: At a book reading, can you read the scene in question? Answering that question has put a whole new emphasis on my determination to not edit out tough scenes. I had a similar situation as you had, and I softened the scene. Even so I still have problems reading it out loud. At my last reading, I read chapter one, the beginning of chapter two, then skipped to chapter 4. I explained to the audience why I did that. Later, a gentleman came up to me and said he found the scene riveting. I smiled because he was a man, not a woman. And his perspective would reflect that.

Even without reading the scene, I think you made the wise choice. The reader's ability to fill in the blanks will always exist.

I'm learning this too Nancy. It's important to see what's best for the story (and essentially our readers) and loosen up that vice on the way we WANT it to be. SOmetimes we're wrong no matter how bad it hurts to hear it. So I say, good for you for being flexible! I'm sure every author does it at some point.

You guys are great! Thanks for all the support! Nancy you honor me with your kind words. I'm glad my honesty with you paid off and didn't cause us problem between us. That's more important to me than anything else! Best of luck!!!

This is a really thought-provoking post, and timely for me. I've had a few comments on the first chapter of my book, and I really want to change it for the better, but I wasn't sure I wanted to change the part I was asked to change (does that make any sense). I decided a few days ago that my commenters were right - it needs to change, at least a little. If a compromise strengthens your writing, then I think it's good. If it doesn't, then . . .it needs to be reconsidered.

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